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Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Vol. 03 (2012)

by Magica Quartet(Favorite Author)

4.39 of 5 Votes: 5

languge

English

genre

Horror

publisher

Yen Press

series

Puella Magi Madoka Magica

review 1: If you think you know Magical Girl manga, this one will throw you way off course. This brings in the darker elements of the genre and runs with it. I haven't read a dark magical girl series like this since Sailor Moon (the original manga, mind you; don't go solely by the anime from teh 90's). Albeit, the conclusion was a bit confusing and I had to backtrack, but I'm willing to forgive. This final volume brings the mystery of Kyubey and the Witches full circle, really putting the reality of Magical Girls in a very bad place. Usually, with this genre, if an alien comes to earth and offers you magical powers, all he asks in return is for you to fight monsters and save the world. Right? That's where Kyubey sucks 'em in. Sure, you can get these awesome powers, fight with ... moreyour friends against the perils of darkness... but there's a hefty price along with a promise, and he never mentions the fine print completely bedazzled with astericks. You're not going to get out of this fight alive, because these magical aliens want only to benefit themselves. So, still want to sell your soul to be a magical girl? You'll save the universe.. one tainted soul at a time. Beginning with yours. And you're not going to get it back.
review 2: And now that the true nature of Magical Girls is revealed, Kyuubey has his nightmare face on every panel he's in.Great ending to a great series. There were things in this manga that I didn't think about when I watched the anime - it highlighted certain ideas and expressed new themes! The characters truly shine here and it's amazing to see how far they will go to achieve what they want. The sacrifices made are genuinely tragic; I adore these magical but human girls.And I've come to accept that not every panel is going to imitate the anime, because the artwork and the emotion put into it is heart-wrenching all on its own. I also have to talk about a certain trope that relates to 'Madoka Magica' in regards to feminism:Too often in movies, TV series and books, whenever a woman or a girl-becoming-a-woman is made powerful and is supposedly highly intelligent, it is a mandatory rule that she must go insane. She can't keep so much mental and emotional responsibility under control without a man by her side. I think this stems from a misogynistic world viewpoint that females can't handle adulthood - they must stay innocent and pure and young, so that men can protect them always (after all, to call a grown woman a girl is considered a compliment mostly, whilst calling a man a boy is widely seen as an insult). Also, this implies that men are not allowed to be emotional - or heck, human - in mainstream culture. Without giving away spoilers, 'Madoka Magica' does present this trope... kind of. But in the case of this franchise it actually makes sense - to the concept and the plot. Besides, as it contains an abundance of three-dimensional female characters who are strong in their own way, a slip-up like this is easily forgivable. To me anyway.Full of twists and turns and inevitable outcomes, I got teary-eyed all over again. 'Madoka Magica' is brilliantly-written, thought-provoking and beautiful. A dark and perfect Magical Girl story.Final Score: 5/5 less

Download links for: Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Vol. 03

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